Crown-seal-cap machine.



J. W. NICHOLS. CROWN SEAL GAP MACHINE. APPLIOATIIOH- FILED my 22, 1913.

1,098,354, Patented May 26, 1914.

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/8 I I ZW F B ,/5 Q X k m +24 N 23 i 2 g ri JeaaeTif/dok J. W. NICHOLS. GROWN SEAL GAP MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 1913.

1,098,354. Patented May 26, 1914.

II II jjj I. I (2& l $2 I: 3/ 30 I I 1. l I /0 /l/ Ill Illu i Q UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

JESSE w. NICHOLS, oF-cIIIcAeo, ILLINOIS.

CROWN-SEAL-CAP MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented May 26, 1914.-

. Application filed May 22, 1913. Serial No. 769,225.

tible of application to closures of diverse type, has to do and is herein described in connection with the manufacture of what is generally known as the crown seal cork or cap.

Prior to the attachment of such closures tobottles the flanged corrugated cap is provided with an inserted packing disk usually of cork and some provision is required to be made for holding the disk in place. It has been proposed to interpose adhesive be tween the top of the cap and the cork and by heating and simultaneously pressing the disk into contact with the softened adhesive to effect an attachment between the disk and the cap. By my invention I avoid the disadvantage of having present an adhesive With the associated danger of deleteriously affecting the stored contents of the bottle and also reduce the expense of manufacture by doing away with the labor and mechanism necessary to the heating and pressing of the caps. Iaccomplish this result by compressing the caps centripetally upon the inserted disk so as to lock the same in position within the cap. In the accompanying drawings and in the following detailed description based thereon I set forth two forms of mechanism for carrying out my invention. It is to be understood that the invention is capable of further modification without departure from the essence thereof or the sacrifice of its material advantages wherefore the drawings and description are to be taken in an illustrative and not in an unnecessarily limiting sense. I

In the drawings Figure 1is a central vertical section through the essential portion of the machine adapted for carrying out the invention; Fig. 2"is a fragmentary horizontal section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 33 of Fig.- 1; Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary v tical sections through the punched die fro 'of the and cap showing two different stages in the operation; Fig. 6 is a vertical section showing diagrammatically the successive steps of the operation carried out in a different form of machine; Fig. 7 is a vertical sectionon the line 77 of F ig. 6; Figs. 8 and .9 are fragmentary vertical sections through the die, punch and cap showing successive stages of the operation; and Fig. 10 is a detail plan view of the die cover plate.

Having particular reference to Figs. 1 to V 5 inclusive the reference numeral 11 designates a die having the stepped opening 12, the initial portion 13 of which is inwardly converging as indicated. The entrance of the portion 13 of the opening is of substantially the same interior diameter as the exterior diameter of the flangel of the crown cap indicated generally by 15, while the walls gradually converge until the final diameter of the portion 13 is slightly less than the exterior diameter of the said flange.

With the die 11 is arranged to cooperate a reciprocatory plunger 16 having a. head 17 of an exterior diameter somewhat less than the normal interior diameter of the cap '15, the said head 17 being of a length sufiicientto enter the cap 15 and Slightly compress the cork disk 18 before the face 19 of the plunger contacts with the outer face of the flange 14 of the cap.

Secured upon the front face of the die 11 is a guide pocket 20 adapted to receive and hold a cap in the position indicated in Fig. 1 at the entrance to the opening of the die, the outer wall of thepocket being provided with an opening 21 for the passage to and lun placed within this pocket by hand one at a time, or they may be deposited therein by 'means of a gravity chute 22 which is of sufficient interior dimensions to allow the passage freely of the caps one at a time under the influence of gravity... In order to provide for the feeding of the caps from the chute step by step or one at a time to the pocket 20 I provide in connection with the lower portion of the chute a feeding device which comprises two superposed pairs .of rods 23 and 24 the members of each pair arranged side byside and intersecting the edges of the chute. The opposed inner faces of the upper pair are in their forward portion cut away as indicated at 25 so as to allow sufficient space for the passage therebetween of a cap 15 while the opposed indiate cap.

ner faces of the lower pair 24 are similarly cut away as indicated at 26, the cutaway portions and 26 of the two pairs being however, out of register vertically. The rods 23 and 24 are fixed upon a bracket 27 carried by reciprocating member 28 which also carries the plunger 16 whereby the rods 23 and 24L and the plunger 16 move in synchronism.

It will be understood that having reference to Figs. 1 and 3 the lowermost cap 15 occupies a position in front of the plunger at the entrance to the die while the next cap is supported upon the arms 24: and the uppermost cap is supported by the interme- As the plunger 16 moves to the left the head 17 contacts with the cork disk 18 and carries the cap into the portion 13 of the die. The frictional engagement of the flange 1 1 with the walls of the die while bemg supported by the face 19 of the plunger agamst backward bending will centripetally compress the cap as it moves through the die whereby the flanged walls of the cap are in a sense upset inwardly upon the periphery of the disk so as to secure the same within the cap. Themovement of the plunger continues until the cap is forced into the enlarged or stepped rear portion of the die opening whence it is discharged in any approved manner. When the plunger completes its stroke the cut away portion 26 of the rods 24 is brought beneath the intermediate cap in the feed chute permitting such cap to drop therethrough into the pocket upon the top of the plunger while the upper cap illustrated is supported by rods 23. As the plunger moves backward the second cap drops ofl the end of the same to a position in line with the plunger and die while the third cap drops through the cut away portions 25 of the rods 23 to the position formerly occupied by the second cap, being supported by the pair of rods 24,.and other caps in the feed chute are progressively fed forward in the same manner.

In Figs. 6 to-l0 inclusive is illustrated a slightl different form of mechanism for carrying out the same operation. In these figures'the die is designated at 30 and the v plungerat'31, the head 32 of the plunger having the same relation with regard to size as that previously described, it having a less exterior diameter than the interior diameter of the cap 15 and a. length sufficient to contact with and compress the cork disk 18 slightly before the forward face 33 of the plunger reaches the outer face of the flange l4. Herein is illustrated in a diagrammatic manner the feeding of the caps horizontally to the die and also the successive steps of supplying to the caps an insulating lining and the cark disks. As this portion of the mechanism forms no part of the present invention the same is illustrated in a general way only, the caps being fed by successive stages beneath the plungers 3 1 and 35 by which in turn the insulating lining 36 and the cork disk 18 are inserted in the caps. A reoipro catory. feed slide 37 is provided with spring pressed pawls 38 which engage behind the caps and as the slide moves forward to the right carries the caps o a position beneath the plungers. When the plungers descend and enter the caps the slide 37 makes its return stroke, the caps being held by their plungers and the pawls 38 passing beneath and then springing upward into engagement with the next cap. After the lining and the packing disk have been inserted the cap is fed into register with the opening 39 of the cover plate 40 which overlies the entrance to the die 30, the flanges of the disk being guided within the grooves 41 of the said plate. Having reached this position the plunger 31 descends forcing the cap through the die and as in the former case, compressing the walls of the same radially inward'upon the disk so as to grip the packing disk peripherally and retain the parts in position.

The insulating lining 36 may or may not be employed. 1f employed it may consist of a paraflined sheet of paper to prevent any chance contact between the stored liquid and the metal of the cap, or instead of using such a lining a suitable lacquer may be applied to the inner face of the cap before the packing disk is inserted, in which case a lacquer should be employed which is chemically inert so that no action will take place between the lacquer and the metal, or between the lacquer and the liquid contents of the receptacle upon which the ca is used as a closure. In many respects tlie employment of a chemically inert lacquer is more desirable than a separate lining and some such insulating medium is always desirable to effectually safeguard the cap and contents againstinjurious reactions.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for securing a packing in a flanged bottle-sealing cap, comprising a die, a reciprocatory plunger for the die, a chute leading to the die, a reciprocatory feed device for the chute, the paths of the plun-- and synchronously operating the plunger and the feed device.

2. An apparatus for securing a packing in a flanged bottle-sealing cap, comprising a die, having a die opening, a reciprocatony plunger working through the die opening, an upper pair and a lower pair of feed rods piercing t e chute and reciprocating therethrough in the path of caps in the chute, the feed rods being reduced at their inner faces to permit the passage of a cap therebetween, the reduced portions of the upper pair of rods being in register with the chute when the plunger is out of the die, the reduced portions of the lower rods being in register with the chute when the plunger .is in the die, and a reciprocatory member car rying the plunger and the feed rods and synchronously operating the plunger and the feed rods.

3. An apparatus for securing a packing in a flanged bottle-sealing cap, comprising a die having an inwardly-tapering die opening,

and a plunger working through the larger end of said opening and having a diameter less than the internal diameter of the cap, the longest diameter of the-tapering die opening being at least as long as the longest di ameter ofthe flange of the cap, whereby the outermost peripheral edge portion of the flange of the cap will initially engage the walls of the die opening and continue to engage the same throughout the passage of the cap through the die andbe forced inwardly by the wedging action of the converging walls of the die opening.

In witness whereof I have hereunto .at-

tached my signature in the presence of two I 

